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Monitoring Protein Adsorption with Solid-state Nanopores
Published on: December 2, 2011
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Mechanical characterization of HIV-1 with a solid-state nanopore sensor
Armin Darvish1, Jung Soo Lee2, Bin Peng2
1School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Electrophoresis
|August 29, 2018
Summary
Immune-deficient viruses are more rigid than mature, infectious ones. Nanopore sensing reveals viral membrane mechanics, crucial for understanding infection and developing antivirals.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Biophysics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Viral fusion with host cells is essential for infection and involves membrane deformation.
- Viral membrane rigidity is a critical factor influencing infectivity.
- Understanding viral mechanical properties aids in developing antiviral strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the mechanical properties and deformability of single virus particles using nanopore sensing.
- To investigate the relationship between viral maturity and membrane rigidity.
- To explore the impact of membrane composition (cholesterol, proteins) on viral mechanics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nanopore resistive pulse sensing as a single-molecule sensor.
- Analyzed pseudo-type human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) at the sub-micron scale.
- Employed a recapturing technique to analyze the deformability of individual virus particles twice.
Main Results:
- Non-infective, immature viruses exhibited greater rigidity compared to infective, mature viruses.
- Chemical modifications altering cholesterol and protein content affected the mechanical properties of mature viruses.
- Nanopore sensing successfully characterized single-virus deformation, distinguishing it from ensemble measurements.
Conclusions:
- Nanopore resistive pulse sensing is a powerful tool for analyzing single-virus mechanical properties.
- Viral membrane rigidity is linked to infectivity, with immature viruses being more rigid.
- Membrane composition significantly influences the mechanical behavior of viruses, offering potential therapeutic targets.
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